The legacy of Mr. Lien Shih Sheng, late pioneer writer and newspaperman, lives on

Dearest Ashley and Abby,

Remember Aunty Siaou Sze?  Mummy is so excited when I chanced upon the newspaper article this evening featuring her late Father, Mr. Lien Shih Sheng's book launch at the Peking University on 17 Sept'11. As shared with you, Aunty Siaou Sze has inspired me in so many ways.  She is a wise, kind, capable and resilient Woman of Substance, One in a Million.

The influence of her late Father on her and her siblings had positively shaped them to be who they are today. Mummy attempts to summarize some of the key teachings of Mr. Lien purely from my perspective:

• 因材施教 - Based on each child's personality, Mr. Lien would personalize his teaching approach towards each child
• 人要忠于学问,做事要对人温和和宽恕 - We must continue to learn, be kind and forgiving to others
• 父亲从小注重对孩子的启蒙, 为了把唐诗之美传达给我们,他把唐诗写在卡片上,久了多到可以串连起来 - Father placed great emphasis on childhood education. He would write numerous Chinese poems on the cards for us and over time, we could join them together
• 他喜欢为孩子讲故事 - He loved to tell stories for his children
• 父亲每天要我们写字练笔,并亲自评改,也把一些有关学习和人生的哲理名言整理成座右铭,当中有好些，我还牢记在心 - Father would instruct us to practise our writing daily and he would correct our work. He would gather some life philosophy and words of wisdom and made them our motto; I could still remember some of them till today
• 个人方面, 父亲认为，千万不可眼高手低，坐二望五，这样将会永远无法满足和快乐 - On the personal front, Father reckoned that one should not simply set high goals without putting in the right amount of effort or simply dreaming of attaining high position. One would never be satisfied and happy
• 对工作，父亲的看法是，人不必绝顶聪明，勤能补拙，只要有恒心，就能扬名立万 - On the professional front, Father reckoned that one need not be the smartest, but hardwork and determination matter more in attaining success in life
• 他求人宽，求己严，主张凡事不要在鸡蛋里挑骨头 - Set high standard for oneself but be lenient to others and do not try to find fault that was not there
• 父亲为人处处以和为贵，也往往以身作则 - Father seeked harmony constantly and walked the talk
• 在教育孩子时，连士升实行“三好”：身体好、读书好、大家相亲相爱 - In educating his children, Mr. Lien practised "3 Goodness": Good Health, Good Study and be Good to one another
• 父亲一生多病，却乐观进取，没有消沉不振 - Father suffered poor health but he was always positive and never gave up
• 每当孩子有病，带去看诊的，也是会说英语的父亲 - Whenever we were sick, Father would bring us to the Doctor and conversed in English with the Doctor

Mr. Lien's legacy lives on as his books and essays are still benefiting generations after generations of readers over 4 decades as they offer useful insights on dealing with family members, how to succeed in school, and the importance of human relations in all aspects of our lives.

Mummy and Daddy have learned so much from this article and will be studying his books together to gain more wisdom so that we could share with our loved ones.

Love,
Mum & Dad Dearest